All wireless technologies used for mobility have well established mechanisms to provide a quality of service (QoS) differential for data packets sent over an air interface. Types of wireless technologies include Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Code division multiple access (CDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and WiMax, among others, for example.
FIG. 1 illustrates a general architecture of a conventional wireless communication network. In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an UMTS wireless network. As shown, a user Equipment (UE) 130 communicates with a Node B 120 over an air interface. Examples of an UE include a mobile station, a mobile unit, a wireless phone, wireless equipped PDA or computer, etc. Multiple Node Bs 120 communicate with a radio network controller (RNC) 110, which provides signaling and traffic processing for each wireless data session. The Node B 120, RNC 110, and the interfaces between these components form what is known as a radio access network (RAN). The RAN communicates with a core network (not shown) to access, for example, the internet. Packet data flowing from the Node B 120 to the RNC 110 is said to flow over the reverse link, and packet data flowing from the RNC 110 to the Node B 120 is said to flow over the forward link. Where used below, Node B 120 may be synonymous with transceiver station (BTS) for CDMA technologies and e-node B for LTE technologies.
The RAN is directed to setup bearers with different QoS criteria according to requests from the UE 130 and directives received from a controlling element 140. For example, in UMTS, the controlling element 140 may be a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) or Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN). In CDMA, the controlling element 140 may be Packet Data Serving Node (PNSN), for example. Also, in LTE, the controlling element 140 may be a PDN-GW/SGW. The controlling element 140 directs the RNC 110 and Node B 120 to setup QoS bearers.
After the QoS bearers are established in the RAN, radio link layer aspects of transmission are associated with the established bearers. For example, if a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is established in the RAN, the RAN responds by associating a specific set of lower protocol layer parameters with the flow associated with the VoIP. The protocol layer parameters with the VoIP flow may involve RF power control targets, IP header compression mechanism (if any), maximum allowable delay bounds for packets, throughput requirements, RLP retransmissions, packet loss rate targets that trigger admission control, overload control, power control or other functions, resource hogging prevention, and packet buffer sizes and times to meet delay targets required by the application associated with the protocols, for example. In general, these parameters are implemented separately for the forward and reverse air-interface links.
Applications that have not been specifically identified by the controlling element 140 as requiring QoS treatment are serviced within a best effort (BE) or Default Bearer communication link in the RNC 110, the Node B 120 and in over-the-air transmission to the UE 130. Unlike wireline transmission, which typically only includes parameters such as queue size and priority constraints, a plurality of other parameters such as the above-identified protocol parameters are set in the RAN. Currently, these parameters are set at a fixed value, independent of the protocols and applications being sent in the BE communication link. As a result, RAN resources are wasted and data packet processing is performed at a sub-optimal level when applications inconsistent with the default settings are serviced within the BE communication link.
For example, Skype™ is a VoIP application that is transmitted in the BE communication link in wireless networks. According to the conventional method, the parameters for the transmitted packets are set according to a fixed value independent of the fact that the application is a VoIP application and/or the type of protocol layers. For instance, RLP retransmission would be enabled, header compression would not take place and air interface packet error rate targets would be set much lower than is necessary for a speech related application. As a result, RAN resources are wasted and the user experience is degraded.